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Climate Dynamics

, Volume 42, Issue 11–12, pp 3289–3311 | Cite as

The regional forcing of Northern hemisphere drought during recent warm tropical west Pacific Ocean La Niña events

  • Andrew HoellEmail author
  • Chris Funk
  • Mathew Barlow
Article
First Online:

Abstract

Northern Hemisphere circulations differ considerably between individual El Niño-Southern Oscillation events due to internal atmospheric variability and variation in the zonal location of sea surface temperature forcing over the tropical Pacific Ocean. This study examines the similarities between recent Northern Hemisphere droughts associated with La Niña events and anomalously warm tropical west Pacific sea surface temperatures during 1988–1989, 1998–2000, 2007–2008 and 2010–2011 in terms of the hemispheric-scale circulations and the regional forcing of precipitation over North America and Asia during the cold season of November through April. The continental precipitation reductions associated with recent central Pacific La Niña events were most severe over North America, eastern Africa, the Middle East and southwest Asia. High pressure dominated the entire Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes and weakened and displaced storm tracks northward over North America into central Canada. Regionally over North America and Asia, the position of anomalous circulations within the zonal band of mid-latitude high pressure varied between each La Niña event. Over the northwestern and southeastern United States and southern Asia, the interactions of anomalous circulations resulted in consistent regional temperature advection, which was subsequently balanced by similar precipitation-modifying vertical motions. Over the central and northeastern United States, the spatial variation of anomalous circulations resulted in modest inter-seasonal temperature advection variations, which were balanced by varying vertical motion and precipitation patterns. Over the Middle East and eastern Africa, the divergence of moisture and the advection of dry air due to anomalous circulations enhanced each of the droughts.

Keywords

El Niño-Southern Oscillation ENSO diversity La Niña Drought Tropical warm pool 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank three anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions helped to improve the manuscript. NCEP Reanalysis and ERSST data were provided by the NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSD, Boulder, Colorado, USA, from their web site at http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/. This research builds upon a multi-year research project carried out under a US Agency for International Development-funded Famine Early Warning System Network agreement with the US Geological Survey.

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© Springer-Verlag (outside the USA) 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of GeographyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUSA
  2. 2.Department of GeographyU.S. Geological Survey and University of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUSA
  3. 3.Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric SciencesUniversity of Massachusetts LowellLowellUSA

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